Disclaimer: Stargate Atlantis and its characters belong to their appropriate proprietors, creators and owners. No copyright infringement is intended. This story was created for entertainment purposes only. No profit has been made from this. Only original characters and storyline belong to the author.

To the kind people who answered my question and provided a review, thanks all so much! Snacks is ecstatic that he's loved and is giving everyone lots of tail wags :) Apologies for the late update. I now have family from overseas visiting and staying with me this week so I have been busy playing tour guide and haven't had much time for writing.

Title: Uncommon Alliance
by Stargalaxy

Chapter 18

The Wraith quickly pushed the dead Wraith's body away from Sheppard's prone, unmoving form. For a few lengthening heartbeats he thought that he was too late, that the human under the other Wraith was also dead. Then he saw the slow rise and fall of the human's chest indicating that the man lying there still breathed. An overwhelming sense of relief flooded through him at the discovery that Sheppard was still alive. In the short time that he had come to know the human, a sense of respect and tentative friendship had formed between them. They still had much to learn from one another and the Wraith looked forward to it.

As he clutched his wounded side and the recently fired Wraith weapon, he had been all too aware that the human, Sheppard, had saved his life while taking an injury in the process. The human was proving that he was more like his Wraith brethrens; those who would willingly risk life and limb to save one of their own. There was honour among Wraith and especially in the warrior's code of conduct and Sheppard, by his actions, had demonstrated himself worthy indeed to be called 'brother' and to receive the Gift of Life.

When Sheppard had refused to trade with the one called Kolya, the Wraith had sensed immediately that this one was different from all the others. Never before in all the years of his long imprisonment on the Genii world had a human chosen the horrors to be fed upon over trading his life at a cost of another. All the other human prisoners that Kolya had captured had ultimately given in to the Genii's demands, especially after they experienced the first feeding. But not Sheppard, in fact the human had ordered his kind not to give Kolya what he wanted and that action had caught the Wraith's attention.

Even when the human was suffering through his third feeding, the Wraith had seen in Sheppard's eyes only stubborn defiance. He recognised that the human before him was a warrior who was not afraid to face his own death, despite the anger and agony that he read in the other's gaze. He knew then that he could not kill this human – a warrior far more worthy of respect and honour than the one who held the both of them prisoners. It was his defiance to Kolya, his unwavering faith in his people, and his desire for escape (and for living) that had the Wraith stopping the final feeding process on his own accord, forcing his hand to jerk back despite his body's need to continue consuming until the human was nothing but dust.

"Who told you to stop?" the one called Kolya had demanded.

"He is near death. Shall I finish him?" he had replied; the half-lie had come easily to his lips. He needed Sheppard strong enough to attempt an escape; he could not take more than he had already done. So he had arrived to a decision; he would rather form an alliance with that human prisoner and perhaps die in an escape attempt than continue with his pitiful existence without hope and a warrior's honour. The human named Sheppard had taught him what it was like to be a warrior again and for the first time in a long time he had begun to look forward to escape, even if it was to just see the sky again. No one, in all his long years as Kolya's prisoner had ever done that before.

Looking at the injured and unconscious human now, he knew that he had to personally ensure that Sheppard made it out of this complex alive. He had originally planned to follow Sheppard three quarters of the way to the exit, before giving him instructions for the rest of the way. Then he intended to head back to the labs to get the information that he needed. However, with the human now seriously injured, that plan would have to wait for another more appropriate time.

His attention went to the human's injuries, scrutinising the human's bleeding side. A worried furrow marred his features. The wound was deep and Sheppard was bleeding heavily which was not a good sign; it only heightened his concern. Searching through the human's pockets, he found some bandages which he efficiently used on the wound. His human companion made no motion or sound, informing the Wraith on the severity of the injury. When he was done, his hand went to his own injured side, feeling the savage pain that spiked deep within him. He had not fed enough for self regeneration but he was familiar with Wraith blaster shots and knew that while the injury was painful, it would not be enough to incapacitate him, not yet anyway. However, he knew that he needed nourishment soon. Hunger raged deep in him and his feeding hand shook at the thought of nourishment that was so close within reach. Almost of its own accord, his hand reached out, fingers extended wide, towards the unconscious form of Sheppard's chest. He wanted to feed, he needed to feed, all he had to do was stretch out his hand and take his fill...

With a growl of self-denial, he shook his head, his feeding hand now clasping into a tight fist and with a force of will, he pushed it back close to his chest. He hissed loudly in frustration. 'No! Not this one!' he told himself. He looked away to scan the surrounding area instead. A few paces ahead of him, close to a wall, he saw Snack's limp little form lying motionless on the ground.

Getting up, he approached it and placed a green hand on its soft fur, finding evidence of a pulse still beating strong in the Talmera. His mouth curved upwards in a smile, noting with satisfaction that it was still alive. He tried to tell himself that he was pleased not because he was becoming fond of Snacks but because it would make Sheppard happy that it too had survived. He wondered how long the human would keep it alive before he consumed it. There were many things that he didn't understand about humans and this was one of them. He did not understand why Sheppard had showed such fondness for a creature if he intended to eat it later. It seemed out of character for Sheppard and he wondered about the strangeness of humans.

Gathering the small limp furry body gently into his hands, he looked around, searching for something to carry it in. His gaze went to the dead Wraith's body and he discovered an old leather-like pouch hidden in one of its pocket. Picking it up, he opened it to discover some energy cartridges for the Wraith weapon. Smiling to himself, the Wraith pocketed them before placing Snacks limp body inside the pouch, ensuring that its wings were tugged comfortably and securely inside, while it left its head hanging out. He then tied the pouch securely around Sheppard's belt loop, ensuring that it wouldn't fall off. With a grunt of effort, the Wraith bent down to lift Sheppard's unconscious form over one shoulder. The Wraith was surprised to discover that the human weighed quite a bit despite his lean form. Once he had a firm hold on the unconscious man, he reloaded his Wraith staff weapon, while carrying another one and continued his journey silently onwards.

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The first sensation that Sheppard felt upon awakening was pain, agonising wish-you-were-dead kinda pain. It was becoming way too old, for it almost seemed he had forgotten what it was like to be pain-free. He must have moved or made a groan, he wasn't sure which, but suddenly he found an unfamiliar rough hand on his shoulder, shaking him awake. He wondered who it was, it certainly wasn't Teyla, definitely wasn't Rodney, and felt too strange to be Ronon.

Then he heard the harsh, raspy voice call his name and his eyes snapped open, only to have a moment of sheer panic when he sighted the shadowed green face of a Wraith hovering close above him. He jerked back, with a shout on his lips, trying to scramble backwards, away from the feeding hand which would surely be seeking his life. His chest started to hammer in agony, feeling phantom pains from numerous feedings he would rather forget.

The other must have sensed his fear for it immediately removed his hand from his shoulder while at the same time, saying "Ah, Sheppard, I did not mean to startle you. Rest easy, I will not harm you."

It took a while for his brain to register the words and for him to recognise the Wraith as the nameless Wraith: Kolya's Wraith. When he finally did, he felt suddenly weak with relief and his body snagged down again, breathing rapidly.

Once he was calmer, he took the opportunity to study his surroundings. He noticed that they were no longer in the Wraith facility; it looked like the nameless Wraith had somehow successfully managed their escape. They were now in a small clearing of a wooden forest; the Wraith's dark form leaning against the bark of a large tree truck. The cool night air felt cold to his perspiring skin and his skin felt clammy to the touch. He knew that he was suffering from the early stages of shock.

A few stars twinkled in the dark sky and he sensed that in a few hours, it would be soon dawn. He wondered how long he had been out.

"Ah, Sheppard, how are you feeling?" The Wraith moved forward to squat beside him; its reptilian eyes alert and glittering in the star light.

"Like crap," he replied honestly. There was no need to lie to the Wraith. He looked around his dark surroundings, wondering where Snacks was. The memory of seeing the little critter being flung hard against the wall came to mind. Worry and anxiety for the winged beast sprang forward. Somehow, the Wraith must have sensed his concern, for it quickly untied something on his left hip and placed it close to his face while it activated a small lighted device in its hand.

"I took it with us," the Wraith informed him as it cupped the unconscious Talmera with one hand, showing it to Sheppard.

Sheppard lifted his head and looked at Snacks' still form with concern. He then shot a gaze at the familiar green face now lighted eerily by the golden light of the globe that it held in its hand. He saw the green face studying him. He wondered how well could the Wraith see in the dark. Probably, with reptilian-like eyes, fairly well. He knew that it was providing the light probably for his sake. Sheppard gave it a wry smile and nodded gratefully while pursing his lips together. The Wraith obviously knew that he had a soft spot for Snacks and there was not much that he could do about it.

"Is it b-badly … injured?" he finally asked.

The Wraith shrugged. "It still lives." It turned to watch Sheppard intently. "Sheppard, do you hope to consume it later if it does not survive?"

The question took Sheppard by surprise. "What?"

The Wraith turned the Talmera around to look at it while it looked puzzled. "You named it Snacks… you mentioned that it meant 'food'? Therefore I assumed that at some point of time, you wished to consume it."

Sheppard broke into a chuckle and instantly regretted it when he was hit by an iron-hot wave of stabbing pain at his side.

When he got his breath back again, he replied, "No… I do n-not wish to consume it. W-we do not … c-consume our friends" He hoped that the Wraith got the message. The Wraith, he was pleased to note, gently placed Snacks next to his uninjured side before nodding.

Sheppard lifted a hand and scratched the top of Snacks' warm fuzzy neck. Be okay, buddy, he thought silently to his little friend. He refused to think that the Talmera would not be otherwise. They were buddies. No, Snacks would be all right once he got it back to Atlantis. Even if he had to badger or threaten Carson to fix its wing and mend whatever injuries that it had sustained from trying to save his life. He owed Snacks that much. For a moment he wondered whether Weir would allow him to keep it. He decided to fight tooth and nail with her on this; he promised himself that at the end of the day, he would convince Elizabeth to allow Snacks to stay in Atlantis. After all, who in their right minds wouldn't fall in love with the cute winged critter? Besides, he never left his people behind and he now considered Snacks as one of them. He owed the little critter his life; the least he could do was to give the Talmera a new home.

The Wraith's soft chuckles brought Sheppard's attention back to the situation at hand. It obviously understood him well. "Ah, Sheppard, it was not my choice," it stated solemnly. "If the need was not great, I would not have done what I did"

"I … know," Sheppard replied uneasily, remembering how Kolya had used both of them as a bargaining tool in hopes to get Weir to give the Genii want he wanted. He remembered ordering Weir not to give in to Kolya's demands. He knew that the Wraith was as much a victim of Kolya's as he was.

He felt weak and tired; pain currently radiated out from his wounded side where he had been stabbed. Looking down, he noticed that a bandage had been placed at the site of his wound.

"I found your people's dressing and applied it on you," the Wraith explained, obviously noticing his gaze. "It is sufficient?"

"It's … g-good," he replied, feeling surprised once again by the Wraith's kindness.

"Tell me Sheppard, why did you risk your life for mine?" the Wraith asked curiously. "You had the personal cloak, you could have escaped without injury if you so wished."

Sheppard looked at the Wraith, recalling back to the event of when he saw the Wraith injured and about to be killed by the other Wraith. Their gazes locked and he replied as honestly as he could. "I could … n-not s-stand by… and watched a friend … be killed."

The Wraith stared at him for a long time. "Friend?" it finally asked softly.

Good question, he had wondered about it himself. He remembered his last words to the Wraith when he had left it on the Wraith world: All bets are off. But somehow in their experience and fight for survival together, a bond had been created between them. Was it even possible for a human to befriend a Wraith, with that human not being a Wraith worshiper? It looked like he was about to find out.

"I… I would … like to t-think so." He frowned once again at the stutter. Ever since Daffy had placed that alien device in his head, it had affected his speech making him sound like Forest Gump. He hated it when he heard himself doing that; he felt out of control and it reminded him that he was still being controlled by that damn Wraith. Daffy the Wraith topped high on his list of 'dead', the same with Kolya.

The Wraith said nothing but only nodded.

"So… do y-you have a … n-name?" Sheppard finally asked. Once before, not so long ago, he had asked this Wraith the same question and it had informed him that it had forgotten. But Sheppard knew that he couldn't always refer to him 'the nameless Wraith'. It was about time he knew what to call it.

Because this Wraith was a friend, or if not a friend, then at least an ally, he could not name it as he regularly named all other Wraiths as a means to assert his authority and control over them. This Wraith had helped him, given him back his life, helped him escape from prison not once, but twice; it deserved more than to be given one of Sheppard's common made-up names. It deserved to be called by its own name.

The Wraith paused as it studied Sheppard with great intensity, its eyes unreadable in many aspects.

"Ah, my name …" it stated solemnly. "My people do not reveal our names especially to those not of our kind. We believe that it gives the other power over them. With my name you could bring about not only my death, but that of my family, my brethren, my clan, that is, if you were caught and interrogated by another Wraith from another fraction. It is a great responsibility to bear, Sheppard. So I ask you again, do you still wish to know my name?"

Sheppard thought about it then shook his head. With the alien device still implanted in his head, he did not trust himself not to betray the Wraith if he were caught again. After all, he still clearly recalled how he had shouted out his own name over and over again. The memory filled him with shame and disgust that he had been unable to stop himself and fight against the implant in his brain. If Daffy interrogated him again and asked him the Wraith's name, could he stop himself from revealing it? Doubts began to plague him. He did not trust himself, which was the worst thing of all. As long as he still had that damn device implanted in his head, he was a liability and he knew it.

With a sigh and a worried frown, he shook his head. He knew that what the Wraith said made sense; it was better if he didn't know. The saying of 'information is power' was certainly true, but in this case, he would rather not have it. After all he did not wish to inadvertently cause the Wraith and its family and brethren harm. It was the last thing that he wanted on his conscience; he had already enough to deal with without adding another to the list.

The Wraith nodded and seemed pleased with his response. "You are a true friend then," he replied. "However, if you need to call me something, then you may call me, Lf'wyne."

Sheppard frowned. "Lf'wyne?" he repeated the unusual sounding name.

The Wraith smiled. "It means 'brother' in Wraith. Ever since my capture and resulting escape from the Genii, I think myself as such whenever I am with you, John Sheppard."

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To be continued